Brake mechanism for railway cars



Dec. 13, 1927.

P. B. CAMP BRAKE MECHANISM FOR RAILWAY CARS Filed Dec. 9. 1922 4 Sheets-Sheet P. B. CAMP Dec. 13, 1927.

BRAKE MECHANISM FOR RAILWAY CARS Filed Dec. 9. 1922 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 7: (for:

Dec. 13, 1927.

F. B. CAMP BRAKE MECHANISM FOR RAILWAY CARS Filed Dec.9. 1922 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 Inventor: fierc 006m)? Dec. 13,1927. 1,652,758

P. CAMP BRAKE MECHANISM FOR RAILWAY CARS Filed Dec. 9. 1922 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 In en evr fey c aggn Patented Dec. 13, 1927.

UNITED STATES PATENT'OFFICE.

PERCY B. CAMP, OF MAYWOOD, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR TO THE UNIVERSAL DRAFT GEAR ATTACHMENT COMPANY, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, A CORPORATION OF ILLINOIS.

BRAKE MECHANISM FOR RAILWAY CARS.

Application filed December 9, 1922. Serial No. 605,888.

This invention relates to brake mechanism for railway cars and has for its ob] ect broadly, to provide a hand brake rigging that will take up the slack quickly and apply the brakes with pressure comparable to the air operating mechanism.

More specifically, it is an object of the invention to interpose between the brake zitaif and the brake lever a plurality of compact devices arranged to multiply the speed of the brake staff in taking up the slack, and then to multiply the power of the brake staff in applying braking pressure.

Further objects of the invention will become apparent asthe description is read in connection with the accompanying drawings in which Fig. 1 is a diagrammatic plan view of a brake mechanism embodying this invention, with one end thereof broken away.

Fig. 2 is a diagrammatic plan view showing the broken away portion of Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary sectional view taken on line 33 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary detail illustrating the arrangement of one of the guide pulleys;

Fig. 5 is a side elevation of a portion of the brake rigging;

Fig. 6 is a fragmentary side elevation 30 showing the arrangement of the brake staff at the right end of Fig. 1;

Fig. 7 is a sectional view taken on the line 77 of Fig. 6;

Fig. 8 is a section on line 88 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 9 is a view similar to Fig. 6 showing the arrangement of the brake staff at the leftend of Fig. 2; and

Fig. 10 is a fragmentary detail showing how the dead ends of brake chains are anchored.

Figs. 11 to 14 illustrate other combinations of levers. V

} Referring to Fig. 1, the reference numeral 10 indicates a brake cylinder equipped with a push rod 11 by which it operates a brake lever 12 which, in turn, operates brake rods 13 and 14 and, through suitable intermediate mechanism, applies the brake to the wheels. (Not shown).

The brake lever 12 is also adapted to be operated by power transmitted from the brake staff 15 at the right end of Fig. 2, or the brake staff 16 at the left end of Fig. 1, through suitable intermediate mechanism. The brake staff 15 is mounted on the car in any suitable manner and is here shown as journaled in a bracket or a step 17 (Fig. 6). The lower end of the staff is equipped with a spiral drum 18 to the upper end of which a cable or chain 19 is secured by a suitable shackle 20. The free end of the chain is preferably connected with a rod 21, running in suitable guides 22, supported beneath the car under-frame 23.

The brake staff 16 is journaled in a similar bracket 24, at the left end of Fig. 2, and carries a similar drum 25 connected by a shackle 26 to the chain 27 which, in turn, is connected with a rod 28 running through a guide 29 similar to the guide 22.

The rods 21 and 28 are connected with the brake lever 12 through multiplying devices here illustrated by multiplying levers 30, 31 and 32. For convenience in operating the multiplying lever 32 from a brake staff at either end of the car when the same are arranged diagonally opposite each other, this lever may take the form of a shaft mounted in suitable fixed bearings and having secured thereto a plurality of arms spaced laterally apart, as shown in Fig. 1. The levers 30 and 31 may be termed sheaves and are in the general form shown particularly in Figs. 5 and 8 and comprise arms of different length spaced apart angularly and equipped with peripheral working surfaces for cooperation with the chains 33 and 34. The levers are pivoted or fulcrumed on pins 35 and 36 mounted in the-forks 37 and 38 of rods 39 and 40, running in guides 41 and .42. The shorter arms of the levers have working surfaces 43 and 44 which are slightly eccentric and extend laterally from the fulcrums 35 and 36. The longer arms have working surfaces 45 and 46 which have extensions 47 and 48 projecting laterally opposite to the eccentricity of the working surfaces 43 and 44.

The chain 33- is connected at one end with the rod 21, passes over a guide pulley 49 and then runs over the lever 30 and has its opposite end anchored to the plate 50, carried by a cross member 51 of the car under-frame or any other suitable support. A chain 34 is connected with the rod 28 at one end, passes over a guide pulley 151 and about the lever 31 and has its free end anchored to the plate 52 carried by the cross member 53. The cross members 51 and 53 are perforated at 54 and 55 to permit the chains to passand the guide sheaves 49 and 151 are preferably carried bytliese plates in suitable relation to the perforations.

Vs hen the brake stalls are rotated, the

running ends of the chains and 34 will be drawn towards the ends ot the car, and,

co-acting with the working surfaces 43 and 44 of the levers and 31, will cause these levers to swing about theirfulcra and make their longer arms quickly take up the slack in the chains. As the movement of the chains continues, the leverage of the shorter arms will increase, due to the eccentricity of the working surfaces 43 and 4A, and the speed will be correspondingly reduced, while the power will be increased. Presently the live end of the chains will step from the short arms of the levers to the long arms and the short arms will become engaged with the dead ends of the chain. In other words, the lever may be said to be reversed during its operation. The live ends will then have the mechanical advantage of the longer arms and will multiply the power of the brake staiis transmitted to the rods 39 and 4:0. The eccentric portions of the working surfaces 43 and a l and the extensions 47 and 430i the surfaces and 16 will give the mechanism a wide working range. Preferably the dead portions of the chains 33 and 3-1 are anchored to the levers, as indicated at 56 and 57, so that sagging will be eliminated, as illustrated particularly in Figs. 5 and 8.

The rods 39 and 40 are connected by chains 58 and 59 with arms 60 and 61 oi the multiplying lever 32, which lever has a third arm 62, and this arm is connected by a chain 63 with a shackle 64 that is engaged with the brake lever 12. As here illustrated, and in the preferred form, the lever 32 has its arms arranged to take advantage of the fact that a point traveling in a circular path will, in some arcs, move princi 'ially in one direction, and in other arcs will move principally in a direction transverse to the first movement. For thls reason the arms 60'arid 61"are placed so that during the initial movement of the rods 39 and 40 these arms will swing so that their principal movement is transverse to the movement of the rods, and the arm 62 is so placed that during this movement of the lever it swings through an arc in which its motion is principally transverse to the movement of the arms 60 and 61. By this arrangement, a very slight movement of the rods 39 and 40 will cause the arm 62 to quickly take up any slack in the chain 63. As the movement of therods 3 9 and 40 continues, the arms 60 and 61 will travel through arcs in which their movement will be chiefly in the same direction as the movement of the rods, and

the arms 62 will move through an arc in which its motion is principally transverse t its first movement,

The result is that the rods 39 and 40 work with disadvantage to multiply the speed of the rods and quickly take up the slack, and then a succeeding movement of the rods operates with sutlicient mechanical advantage to multiply the power of the rods and develop the necessary braking pressure.

The arms 60 and 61 preferably have their leading faces 65 and 66 arranged for contact with the chains 58 and 59, substantially as shown in Figs. 5 and 8. The chains 58 and 59 pass from these faces to the peripheral working surfaces 67 and 68 and their ends are anchoredto' the faces '69 and 70 ot the arms 60 and 61. WVith this arrangement, it will be seen that in approximately the first quarter of a revolution of the arm 60 and 61 points 71 and 72, will move principa lly'transv'erse to the rods 39 and 4:0, and thereafter the working surfaces 67 and 68 will cooperate with the chain after the fashion of drums.

he arm 62 is here shownsubstantially at right angles with the'leading "faces 65 and 66 of the arms 60 and 61, and it has a drum surface 7 3 for working engagement with tne chain 63 when the braking pressure is being applied. By comparing the relative positions of the working surfacesli? and 68 with the working surface of 73 and the leverages of the several surfaces, it will be seen that the power transmitted to the rods 39 and 10 by the reversing levers will be greatly multiplied by the lever 32 transmitted to the brake lever 12.

By arranging the arms 60 and 61 oppositely with the faces 65 and 66 substantially 180 apart, the brakes may be operated in the same manner from each end of the car.

A different speed in taking up the slack, or different power for applying the breaking pressure, or a different working range can be had by altering the various components of the mechanism, for example'a slower takeup' can be obtained by altering the angular positions oi the points 71 and 72 or of-the point on the arm 62. V as now arranged, all the arms operate to first multiply the speed and then multiply the power. 7

Likewise change in the effect of the reversing levers 30 and 31 may be made by changing the proportions and the positions 7 of the lever arms.

F 11 shows two multiplying levers, each having a staff arm 80 similar to the arms 60 and 61, and a brake arm in the form of a relatively small drum 81.

Fig. 12 shows one multiplying lever hav ingarms 82 and 83 like the arms and 81 in Fig, 11, while the other multiplying lever fias a brake arm 84 set at the best angle for taking up slack, and a staff arm in the form of a relatively large drum. 85.

F 13 shows one multiplying lever with its staff and brake arms 86 and 87 arranged to give great speed for taking up slack and the other in the form of drums 88 and 89 of different diameters.

Fig. 14 sho a reversing lever 90 cooperating with a multiplying lever in the form of two drums 91 and 92 of different diameters.

I claim as my invention:

1. In a brake mechanism for railway cars, the combination of a car under-frame, a brake staff at each end of said car underframe mounted on opposite sides of the center, a bfake lever, a multiplying lever having a brake arm connected with said brake lever, and two individual staff arms spaced apart corresponding to the lateral spacing of said brake staffs, and a reversing lever connecting each staff arm with the corresponding brake staff.

2. In a brake mechanism for railway cars,

the combination of a car under-frame, a

brake staff, a. brake lever, a multiplying lever rotatably mounted on. the under-frame and having a brake arm and astaff arm so spaced that the principal movement of each is transverse to the principal movement of the other, means connecting said'brake arm with said brake lever, a rotatably mounted reversing lever, having arms of different length spaced apart angularly, a cable running over said lever with one end in winding engagement with said brake staff and the other end anchored, and means connecting said staff arm with the pivot of said reversing lever.

3. In a brake mechanism for railway cars, the combination of a brake staff, a brake lever, and a connection between them including a sheave in the form of a reversing lever, having arms of different length, one of said arms being provided with a flat side, a chain running over said sheave and adapted to engage said flat side during the initial application of the brakes, said chain having one end in winding engagement with the brake staff and the other end anchored, a rotatably mounted multiplying lever having two individual arms spaced apart and each having a winding surface adjacent thereto, means for connecting one arm of the multiplying lever with the pivot of the re-.

versing lever, and means for connecting the other arm of the multiplying lever with the brake lever, one of said means being adapted to be unwound from one of said winding surfaces while the other means is being wound on the other winding surface.

4. In a brake mechanism for railway cars, the combination of a brake staff, a brake lever, a rotatably mounted multiplying lever having two individual arms spaced apart angularly and laterally, a winding surface adjacent to one of said arms, a connection between one arm and the brake lever, said connection being adapted to engage said winding surface in applying the brakes, a rotatable eccentric-ally mounted sheave connected with the other arm, and a cable running over said sheave with one end in winding engagement with the brake staff and the other end anchored.

5. In a brake mechanism for railway cars, the combination of a brake staff, a brake lever, a reversing lever having oppositely arranged individual arms of different lengths, a cable looped about said reversing lever with one end in winding engagement with the brake staff and the other anchored, and a connection between said reversing lever and the brake lever, including flexible members, a multiplying lever comprising a rotating shaft having a staff arm extending laterally therefrom for receiving power from the reversing lever, a shorter brake arm connected with the brake lever, and winding surfaces on said arms about which said flexible members are adapted to engage.

PERCY B. CAMP. 

